South Africa( a country in the most south)

[font:8d60=&quot]As its name suggests,
the Republic of South Africa is the southernmost country on the continent of
Africa. South Africa has almost 3,000 kilometres of coastline, with the
Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]South Africa covers an
area of 1,219,090 square kilometres and shares borders with six other
countries. Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe lie to the north, and Mozambique and
Swaziland to the north-east. The small country of Lesotho lies entirely inside
South Africa, completely surrounded by its much larger neighbour.[/font]


[color:8d60=red][font:8d60=&quot]HIGH GRASSLANDS AND MOUNTAINS[/font][/color]


[font:8d60=&quot]Much of South Africa is made up of an upland
plateau that slopes down to a narrow plain near the coast. Most of the plateau
is covered by flat or gently rolling open grassland that can be divided into
three regions. The largest region, called the Highveld, is mostly 1,500 metres
above sea level. To the north-east there is a wide rocky ridge, called the
Witwatersrand (or “ridge of white waters”), which contains the world's largest
goldfield.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]The Middle Veld, in the north-west of the
country, is generally more than 900 metres high. This dry, flat land slopes
down to two sandy, rocky desert areas—the Kalahari Desert shared with Botswana,
and the Namib Desert of Namibia. The Bushveld, or Transvaal Basin, forms the
north-eastern part of the plateau.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]The plateau is highest in the east, where it meets
the Drakensberg mountains. This range stretches for more than 1,000 kilometres
and includes South Africa's highest point, the flat-topped peak called
Champagne Castle (3,375 metres). The Drakensbergs also stretch across Lesotho,
where South Africa's longest river begins. The Orange River flows west across
the country, forming the border with Namibia on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.[/font]


[color:8d60=red][font:8d60=&quot]WILDLIFE RESERVES[/font][/color]


[font:8d60=&quot]The Highveld is like a prairie and has very few
trees, but the Bushveld savannah has scattered trees and bushes. These
grasslands are home to many large animals, such as elephants, zebras,
antelopes, lions and leopards. Today, most of these animals are found in
special game reserves, and South Africa has 30 national parks.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]Kruger National Park, on the Bushveld near Mozambique,
was founded as a game reserve in 1898. In recent years it has been successful
in preserving numbers of elephants and white rhinoceroses. Today, the park
attracts tourists and wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world.[/font]


[color:8d60=red][font:8d60=&quot]POPULATION[/font][/color]


[font:8d60=&quot]Nearly 44 million people live in South Africa. About
three quarters of the population are black Africans, who belong to nine
different ethnic groups. The Zulu form the largest of these, numbering more
than 8 million people, and they are followed by the Xhosa. Both groups speak
their own Bantu language. These are among the 11 official languages recognized
in the country.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]The rest of the population is made up of people
of European descent, people of mixed African and European ancestry, and Asians.
More than half of the Europeans are of Dutch ancestry, and they are known as
Afrikaners or Boers. They speak their own language, called Afrikaans, which is
related to Dutch.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]From 1948 until 1990, the South African government
had a policy of racial segregation. Their system was called apartheid, meaning
“separateness” in Afrikaans. All people were classified by race as being black,
white, Coloured (of mixed race) or Asian. The colour of their skin affected
where people lived, how they were educated and what jobs they held. The races
were even kept apart in public buildings and on beaches. After apartheid was
ended, the same human rights were given to all citizens.[/font]


[color:8d60=red][font:8d60=&quot]THREE CAPITALS[/font][/color]


[font:8d60=&quot]More than half of the population lives in towns
or cities. The country's largest city is Cape Town, which has nearly 3 million
inhabitants. This major port lies on the Atlantic Ocean, overlooked by the
famous Table Mountain, which rises to 1,086 metres. Founded in 1652, this
historic city is one of South Africa's three capitals. Cape Town is the
legislative (or law-making) capital, where the South African parliament meets.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]The second-largest city is Pretoria (with 1.7 million people).
Pretoria is the administrative capital, where government officials have their
offices. The third capital is the central city of Bloemfontein (364,000
inhabitants), which is called the judicial capital because it is where the
country's high court meets.[/font]


[color:8d60=red][font:8d60=&quot]GOLD AND DIAMONDS[/font][/color]


[font:8d60=&quot]Another large city, Johannesburg (with 3,226,000
people) was founded in 1886 when gold was found nearby. It was soon called the
“richest spot on Earth” and people flocked there during the gold rush. Today it
is a city of skyscrapers. To the south-west of the city is the township of
Soweto, which grew up in the 1940s as a settlement for black people working in
the gold mines.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]Just over 400 kilometres away, near the centre of
the country, lies Kimberley. This city (of 63,000 people) was founded in 1870
after the discovery of diamonds on a nearby farm. A mine here called the Big
Hole is 1.5 kilometres in circumference and about 365 metres deep. This was the
richest diamond mine in the world until it closed in 1915.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]Today, South Africa is the world's leading producer
of gold, which makes up more than a quarter of the income the country earns
from exports. It is also still a major source of diamonds, as well as of coal,
copper and iron ore.[/font]


[color:8d60=red][font:8d60=&quot]FROM COLONIES TO REPUBLIC[/font][/color]


[font:8d60=&quot]The original inhabitants of South Africa were Khoisan
peoples, who were joined around ad
100 by Bantu people from the north. European interest began in the 15th century
when Portuguese sailors explored the coast in search of gold and a sea route to
the East.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]The Dutch founded a settlement in 1652. After
the British took over their Cape Colony in 1795, many of the Dutch (called
Boers, meaning “farmers”) moved north. The British defeated the Zulu people in
1879, and then fought a series of wars against the Boers. Finally, the Union of
South Africa, made up of two British colonies and two Boer republics, became an
independent country in 1910.[/font]


[font:8d60=&quot]After years of apartheid during the 20th century,
the first free, multiracial elections were held in 1994. Nelson Mandela became
the country's first black president, and a new age dawned for South Africa.[/font]


[b][font:8d60=&quot]Microsoft Encarta 2007.
1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.[/font][/b]